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Jackie Mason

Date of birth: 09-06-1931

Jackie Mason was raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, surrounded by rabbis.

His three brothers are rabbis. His father was a rabbi, and so were his grandfather, his great-grandfather and his great-great grandfather, and he was all set to follow in their footsteps, being ordained at the age of 25.

Three years later, he quit his synagogue to become a comedian because, as he says, "Someone in the family had to make a living."

Free speech? Only if you're black or gay

Jackie Mason has complained that free speech is 'only for black people and homosexuals'.

'If you are a white Protestant American gentile, you can't say a word,' the 84-year-old stand-up said in a radio interview.

His comments came as he was asked about Jerry Seinfeld's comments that comedians need to be politically correct, especially when facing college audiences.

Mason said: 'Before, you couldn't pick on homosexuals because it was bad taste, because homosexuals were a persecuted minority. Now, it's exactly the opposite.

'Homosexuals can attack you and abuse you. And people who are in favour of same-sex marriage could abuse you, but you can't say a word against same-sex marriage.

'Now if you're for same-sex marriage you're a sensation, and you can persecute anyone who's against same-sex marriage.'

To stifled sniggers from his interviewer, Mason adds: 'The homosexuals are now in charge and if they find out you're a heterosexual you're afraid to walk in the street already'. They are persecuting more people now that anybody who ever picked on them.'

Mason also claimed about racial issues, saying you had to be 'careful' not to use an offensive term.

'If you say any one word against a black person you are wiped out in a second. If you talk about a black person you have to be so careful,' he told radio host Aaron Klein.

'It used to be you couldn't say the N-word, the N-word would put you out of business then you had to be careful. Instead of saying the N-word touch called them a black person.

'Then the word 'black' went out of business because you had to say "Negro". Then "Negro" went out of business, you had to say 'African American.'

'Now, every day, you have to buy a paper to find out what a black person is called today… A black person can call you any name he wants. Free speech today is only for black people.'

In 2009, Mason came under fire after calling Barack Obama a 'schwartze', a controversial Yiddish phrase for black people largely seen as a racist slur. He previously used the same term about former New York mayor David Dinkins

The comic, has been complaining about 'political correctness' for more than 20 years, has also courted controversy for being against gun-control in America and for wanting the total expulsion of Palestinians from Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip.

His interview will air on Aaron Klein Investigative Radio in New York and Philadelphia tomorrow, but The Hollywood Reporter obtained advance footage:

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